


Lean on Me - Mama

by Chika_Lohaine



Series: Wings [6]
Category: VIXX, 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Abuse, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Cha Hakyeon is not female, Character Death, Dancer Jeon Jungkook, Dancer Jung Hoseok | J-Hope, Dancer Kim Seokjin | Jin, Dancer Kim Taehyung | V, Dancer Park Jimin (BTS), Domestic Violence, Family Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hurt Cha Hakyeon | N, Hurt Jung Hoseok | J-Hope, Jung Hoseok & Cha Hakyeon are mother and son, M/M, Major Character Injury, Minor Cha Hakyeon | N/Jung Taekwoon | Leo, N is called Mama, No changing of genders, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Sorry Not Sorry, Tags May Change, Things are going to get rough, Trainee Kim Seokjin | Jin, Trainee Park Jimin (BTS), Underground Dancer Jeon Jungkook, Underground Dancer Kim Taehyung | V, Underground Rapper Kim Namjoon | RM, Underground Rapper Min Yoongi | Suga, Violence, hint hint, underground dancer Jung Hoseok | J-Hope
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-04
Updated: 2020-06-17
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:54:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 12,748
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24545743
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chika_Lohaine/pseuds/Chika_Lohaine
Summary: Ever since Hoseok could remember, he always had two dads.Ever since Hoseok could remember, his parents always fought.Ever since Hoseok could remember, his world was filled with pain.ORHoseok is father is abusive and his mother will do anything to protect his only son.Read as a standalone.
Relationships: Cha Hakyeon | N/Jung Taekwoon | Leo, Jung Hoseok | J-hope & Cha Hakyeon | N
Series: Wings [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1456879
Comments: 1
Kudos: 18





	1. Chapter 1

Ever since Hoseok could remember, he always had two dads. Hyunjoo, who he called dad, was cold and distant, always forcing Hoseok to study and focus on getting a good job. Hakyeon, who he called mama, was warm and kind, always encouraging Hoseok to follow his dreams.

Ever since Hoseok could remember, his parents always fought. Dad would shout, scream, and throw things, always threatening to hit Hoseok. Mama would cry, shout back and protect Hoseok, always making sure his only child was safe.

Ever since Hoseok could remember, his world was filled with pain. Dad was never drunk, making the beatings harder to take, always drowning out his pain in his family’s screams. Mama was never not drinking pills, anything to take away the pain, always ready to take the next beating for his son.

Maybe that’s why Hoseok didn’t oppose his mama when he was dragged out of bed at three in the morning and pushed out the door, bags already packed. He didn’t know where mama found the time to pack their bags when he worked two jobs a day, but he was grateful that they were finally leaving the hell that they had been living.

It was Hoseok’s eighteenth year in the world when his mama had decided enough was enough. Hoseok had asked Hakyeon why they had left so late, why they never left when Hoseok was still young. Mama had held him, crying, and told him that there was never enough money then. Now there was enough money to take them anywhere.

They didn’t go far though, just to Seoul. Mama said it was so Hoseok could find a good dance academy without feeling out of place in the country. It was Hoseok’s turn to cry at those words.

***

Mama found work at as a secretary in a company near the apartment they stayed at. He had already enrolled Hoseok in a school before they had moved, using Hakyeon’s surname before he got married, Cha.

Every morning, mama would get Hoseok up for school – even though he was old enough to wake himself up, as Hoseok often pointed out – and got himself ready for work. Then they two would take the train together, before getting off at different stops.

The school Hoseok went to was quite expensive, it was the same school that idols and rich idol trainees went to school at. Mama never told Hoseok where he got the money for the tuition, he just told Hoseok to follow his heart and work to the best of his ability. Hoseok cried again that night.

It was in his second month at Seoul High that he met Park Jimin and Kim Seokjin. The two were in one of the dance studios at the school. Seokjin, who was quite a famous alumni at the school, was sitting on the floor doing what looked like homework while Jimin danced to the loud music. Hoseok had gone to this dance studio because the others were occupied by dance lessons. He didn’t know it was occupied due to its soundproof walls and opaque doors and walls.

“Why did you turn off the music?” Jimin asked Jin as he turned around, he saw Hoseok standing at the door. “Oh, hi.”

“Hello. I didn’t know there were people inside, sorry.” Hoseok said as he went to close the door.

“No, it’s okay. You can come in; I was just finishing up anyway.” Jimin smiled. Hoseok reluctantly came inside. He didn’t want there to be anybody in the room when he danced, after all he wasn’t even studying dance. The main reason for dancing in private was because of his reputation as an underground dancer. He was dancing anonymously every weekend and didn’t want people to know.

“I’m Kim Seokjin and that’s Park Jimin.” Jin introduced the two. Hoseok didn’t point out that their reputations had preceded them, and simply bowed in greeting.

“Cha Hoseok.” Hoseok took his time warming up, hoping that they would get bored, but they just sat there and did their own thing, occasionally looking up at him. Hoseok knew that he would need to start dancing soon, or they might suspect something. He didn’t want to be rude and kick them out, Mama had raised him better.

Hoseok picked a random song and started doing a simple routine, purposefully not executing it perfectly. Every moved he made was sloppy and inaccurate but still had a lot of feeling in it. He could feel Jimin and Jin’s eyes on him and it made him nervous, but he didn’t stop dancing.

He only stopped when the studio door, which he had been watching, opened. Hoseok spun around and saw that it was a dance teacher.

“Are you boys still busy here? I have a class in thirty minutes, and I want to set up.” The woman said as she stepped into the room. “Could help me please?”

Hoseok, Jin and Jimin went to help the teacher, whose name, as she had introduced herself, was Jeon.

She had them set eight chairs facing each other with two weights on either side. According to her, she was going to have a group of trainees who were going to practice their flexibility. She offered to let them try and the boys declined, using the excuse of wearing the wrong clothes.

“You are actually quite good.” Jimin said as they stacked the remaining chairs in a corner.

“Good at what?” Hoseok asked, hoping that they weren’t talking about what he thought.

“Dancing. You just need to tighten up your moves a bit more.” Jimin continued, confirming Hoseok’s fears. He knew he shouldn’t have danced in front of other people.

“Did you learn dancing from J-Hope?” Jin asked, making Hoseok freeze. J-Hope was Hoseok’s underground name.

“Who?”

“J-Hope, that underground dancer who won the Inter Gwangju competition last year.” Jin answered his friend. “I showed you his dances.”

“Oh, I had forgotten his name for a second.” Jimin laughed lightly.

“So, did you?” Jin went back to Hoseok.

“Maybe, I just played a lot of videos from online and learnt from them.” Hoseok lied. Jin nodded.

“Your dancing looks like his.”

When they were finished, Hoseok, Jin and Jimin left the building and walked towards the library. Hoseok then waved an extremely quick goodbye and disappeared before the two had a chance to respond. He took the bus to his part time job and got dressed when he arrived.

Hoseok worked at a small café in the downtown area, closer to where he lived. When his shifts ended, he would take the bus to the train station and meet Mama. Then the two would walk home together.

“Hello Hoseok.” Yeri, student from a different school, greeted him. Hoseok waved and stepped behind the counter, ready to serve the customers. The café was small but popular. It was the only café located within three blocks and served amazing, hand ground coffee and secret recipe made pastries.

Hoseok loved the atmosphere in the café. It was always lively but not too busy and always had a faint smell of coffee – not too strong despite the place being a coffee shop – and other sugary treats.

“Welcome to the Time Traveller, how can I help you?” Hoseok smiled as he looked at the customer. He loved meeting new people every day and despite working at the café for a month and a half, Hoseok still saw new faces every day.

“Café latte, extra cream.” The man said. This man was actually a familiar face for Hoseok. He knew that the man worked at a nearby company and came every day at around three o’clock to fetch a cup of coffee. The man had a soft voice and an aloof looking expression, but was always nice to Hoseok, sometimes tipping more than he had to.

“Anything else?” Hoseok rang up the order. The man shook his head and handed over his card for payment. When it was done, he moved out of the way for the next customer.

***

Hoseok only worked from half two to half five during the week and half nine to half two during the weekends. It meant that he had quite a lot of free time to himself and earned a bit more than the usual two-hour shift workers.

His shifts on the weekend cut into his time with Mama, but Hoseok didn’t mind since it meant that he could help out with the bills. On Saturdays, after his shift, he would head to the usual underground arena where the dance battles took place. Hoseok would use a bathroom backstage to change into his gear before heading out to compete.

When his shift was over, Hoseok quickly headed to change before he went to the bus station. Hoseok was glad that his days were like clockwork. Although what happened between the hours were always unexpected, he knew that time from one activity would never overlap into another activity.

He reached the train station at five fifty, ten minutes before Mama would arrive. Hoseok waited those ten minutes in the cool autumn weather for his parent.

“Right on time.” Mama said as he hugged Hoseok.

“I got you some of your favourite pastries.” Hoseok said as he handed a lunch box to Hakyeon.

“You are too kind Hoseok~ah. Let’s eat these after we have dinner.” Mama linked arms with Hoseok and the two headed home to their small apartment. Despite it being small and cramped, Hoseok couldn’t have asked for anything better. The apartment consisted of a single bedroom, a small kitchen, an even smaller bathroom, and a living room, but it was home to the two males.

It was filled with love and that was all they needed.

“What are we having for dinner?” Hoseok asked when they entered the apartment.

“I think we have some chicken left. I’m going to have to go and buy more food during the weekend.” Hakyeon sighed. He hung up their jackets and placed their shoes neatly in the corner while Hoseok went to the kitchen to start on dinner.

“I could go and buy the things.” Hoseok offered as they manoeuvred around each other in the cramped kitchen. They had been doing it every day since they had arrived, so the size of the kitchen presented them with no problems.

“You have school and work Hobi. I don’t want to over work you.” Mama argued.

“But I want to help you, and I have time on Saturday morning.” Hoseok pointed out. In order for his mother to buy the food on time it meant that he would have had to skip a few hours of work, therefore getting less pay.

“What did I do to deserve such a good son?” Mama asked as he patted Hoseok’s cheek.

“You raised me right.” Hoseok replied. They had this conversation often and Hoseok would always give the same reply whenever Hakyeon asked that question. It had become routine for them.

“Let’s get dinner on the table, you still have homework to do.” Mama said and he turned back to the pots. Hoseok watched his parent for a bit before turning back to cutting the carrots.

To Hoseok, Mama had always been Mama. He had once asked his dad why Hakyeon was never called papa or father and immediately regretted it.

 _“Why would a man as strong as me want to have a man as weak as your mother on my level?”_ His father had said _. “If he could, he would be the one to give birth in this relationship. All your mama_ _was ever good for was being fucked.”_

Hoseok had been ten when his father said this to him. When he was old enough to understand what that meant, Hoseok promised to make sure that nobody else every said that about his mother. Mama meant the world to him and nobody could tell him otherwise.


	2. Chapter 2

It was a beautiful Friday morning when Hoseok met Jin and Jimin again. Hoseok always wondered why the older boy was always still on the school campus despite graduating two years earlier but he never bothered asking.

“Hey Hoseok.” The two greeted him when they saw him. They seemed to be headed towards the year two classrooms while Hoseok was headed towards the dance studios. He needed to get in some extra dance practice before the match the following day. Hoseok didn’t know who he was going to be up against, but it was better to be prepared.

“Hello, Jimin and Jin-hyung.” Hoseok greeted them back and went on his way he wasn’t in the mood for conversations or distractions.

“Are you headed to the dance studio?” Jin asked.

“Can we watch you practice? I like to see what new dance moves and techniques I can learn from others.” Jimin chimed in. Hoseok cursed his luck as he turned around.

“Yes, but I wasn’t going to practice. I wanted to just work there, since I like the space.” Hoseok lied. He didn’t want – and didn’t need – guests to watch him.

“Oh, maybe next time then.” Jin smiled and Hoseok nodded. He could feel their eyes on him as he walked away.

*

Hoseok tried the same step for the sixth time in an hour, trying to land it just right but failing every time. He didn’t know what he was doing wrong. The move he was trying to learn was meant to be his closing move. Each person got a few minutes to show off their moves before the next person had their turn, then the winner of the match was decided.

The winner would then win a small cash prize and be taken to the next round, which happened the following Saturday. Each eliminated dancer would still be able to compete in the smaller competitions but the people who lasted would get to enter into the final national competition as a group of three to five members.

Hoseok was still in the running to joining the picked group and didn’t want to mess the opportunity up. Not when the prize money could buy his mother a better house.

Hoseok switched on the music again and tried the dance move. He was so into getting it right that he didn’t notice the door open until he turned around, mid move.

Jin and Jimin stood at the door, different facial expressions plastered on their faces. Jimin looked shocked while Jin looked smug, as if he had known all along.

***

“So, you are the famous underground dancer, J-Hope?” Jimin asked after they had gotten comfortable in the floor in the middle of the room. Hoseok just nodded. He knew he had been caught dancing so there was no point in lying. “That’s so amazing.”

“You couldn’t fool me with your excuse. I knew you were lying when you said you were coming here to study.” Jin said, sounding just like a mom.

“Why are you hiding your identity? You could get into BigHit just by telling them your name.” Jimin gushed. It seemed as if he was still amazed by this revelation.

“I don’t want to be famous. I just want to dance.” Hoseok shrugged. He could see that Jin could see through the lie if his narrowed eyes were anything to go on.

“Is your routine for your upcoming dance battle?” Jin asked, changing the subject to the relief of Hoseok.

“It’s not really a routine, more of me just going over some of my best moves that I’m going to use tomorrow.” Hoseok explained.

“Could we see it?” Jimin asked, excitement wearing down. Hoseok shrugged and stood up to give a demonstration. When he was done, there was a seriousness in Jimin’s face. “I can see where you are going wrong with one of the steps.”

“I thought you only focused on contemporary dance and ballet.” Hoseok said as Jimin took off his shoes and stood up.

“Jimin only does that in school, but for our company that we are training under, we study all sorts of dances.” Jin explained.

For the rest of the school day, Jimin helped Hoseok improve on his dance moves. Hoseok was grateful that they had found out about his secret.

***

On the Saturday morning Hoseok woke up early in order to get the shopping done. When he went to the grocery store, Mama left for work. Hoseok made sure to finish the shopping in an hour so he had time to get back home, pack everything in their rightful places, then hurry to work.

His workday was the same as usual and Hoseok was nervous for it to end. He couldn’t wait until the match, while at the same time, he didn’t want it to come. There were three matches left after this one to decide who was going to be in the final group. Rumour had it that the competition at the top was far more difficult to be because everybody brought their A game. Hoseok had never tried for this competition before due to his father’s forever watchful eyes.

Today’s competition was the final competition for his district before he was faced with the winners from the other districts. Hoseok knew that he had to win this round. Losing wasn’t an option.

***

Hoseok left work early and got on the train back to Gwangju, which was a two-hour ride. He was going to compete from the town that he and his mother had run away from. Hoseok knew how to avoid the paths that his father would usually walk and got to the arena ten minutes before the matches started. He got changed then headed to the participants sign in station. He signed in before heading to the waiting station.

Hoseok had three matches before the final, life changing match. His palms were sweating as he sat there, not listening to anything as he waited for them to call his name.

“Next up we have J-Hope verses Gwang!” The MC shouted into the microphone. Hoseok could hear the crowd screaming for the next round, knowing that it would be an interesting battle. Gwang was an extremely talented dancer and had never lost a battle. Hoseok had only lost his first battle back when he had first started but had been steadily rising through the ranks, and currently remained undefeated. It was really a match for one to see for themselves.

Hoseok remembered the first time he went up to the circle stage. Everyone had been confused as to why he was wearing a mask and if he could even dance without it falling off. Hoseok had proved it possible, executing difficult moves without the mask coming off once.

It was a handmade mask. Stitched from stiff black fabric with spikes all over its front, the mask covered his lower face and was a sight to behold. Nobody dared copy J-Hope’s signature mask.

Gwang had more wins under his belt and therefore got to start first. Hoseok observed the techniques that his opponent used and noted which ones would triumph them.

Then it was Hoseok’s turn.

The crowd had gone wild when he was finished. Increasing in volume as he stood up and faced them. They had been silent the entire performance as if mesmerized by it. Hoseok bowed and everyone held their breath in anticipation of the winner.

“The winner of the match between Gwang and J-Hope is… J-Hope!” The MC shouted as the crowd went wild. J-Hope raised his fist in the air before bowing deeply in front of everyone. He was handed the microphone but politely declined, deciding to just bow with his head on the floor.

When the cheering was done, Hoseok went off stage to collect his prize money and head home. It was near the time that mama would be heading home also. He managed to catch a train back to Seoul and arrive five minutes before Mama.

Hoseok never told Mama about his dancing. He knew that Hakyeon knew that Hoseok liked to dance due to the fact that the latter had always danced with Mama when he was still a child. Hoseok knew that Mama would be proud of him regardless, but he wanted to get somewhere far before he told him.

When Hoseok arrived at their meeting spot, Mama was already there.

“What happened? Why are you late?” Mama fussed over his son, making sure the boy was okay.

“I’m fine Mama. I just went out with a few people.” Hoseok lied. “Remember the alumni I was talking about? Kim Seokjin-sunbae?”

“Oh, I was worried about you.” Hakyeon said as they walked.

Despite how much better their lives had become, the ever-looming threat of Mama’s husband finding them, was ever present. Hakyeon didn’t want that man anywhere near his son if he could help it.

***

“You were amazing on Saturday!” Jimin shouted when he spotted Hoseok in the library the following Monday. Jin didn’t seem to be with him.

“Thanks.” Hoseok replied. He continued with the work that he couldn’t do because of the competition and work. Jimin got himself comfortable on the other seat across from Hoseok.

“Why don’t you dance here at school? It could help you advance your dancing.” Jimin asked after a while.

“I have my reasons.” Hoseok shrugged as he worked on a math problem for the class he was going to have in a few hours.

“I wish you would do dance. You would be really good.” Jimin muttered as he also got to work. When Hoseok’s free period ended he said goodbye to Jimin and headed to class.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes this dance battle is based on the BT21 dance battle. And yes, Mang/Hobi always stays winning in my eyes. I wrote this because I'm still hurt that Mang 'lost'.


	3. Chapter 3

“What would you say if I got married again?” Mama asked as the two sat down for dinner. Hoseok looked at him, trying to gauge the seriousness of his parent’s words.

“If you love him then I don’t see why I should be against it.” Hoseok shrugged. He wanted Hakyeon to be happy. “Can I ask you a question?”

“Yes, go ahead.” Mama said, placing his chopsticks down.

“Why did you and Dad get married?” Hoseok had been wondering about this ever since he was younger. He had been told that people got married for love, but he never saw any love in his parents’ relationship.

“Mainly because of our parents. Your grandparents wanted us to join the two families together, but it didn’t happen when your father decided to cut ties with his family. We adopted you a month after we got married.” Mama explained, a sad look adorning his features.

“Why so soon?”

“I never got the full story, but apparently you were the son of a friend of your father’s. Some poor soul that he had made pregnant. Her family didn’t want them together obviously.” Hakyeon placed his hands over his son’s. “They might have not wanted you, but I will always want you. I loved you from the moment I laid my eyes on you. I love you, Hoseok.”

“I know.” Hoseok smiled, tears sliding down his face. “You tell me every night when you think I’m sleeping.”

“Did I ever tell you about the day you were born?” Mama asked as he wiped his tears and picked up his chopsticks. Hoseok shook his head. “A week before you were born, your father came to tell me about you.”

_*flashback*_

_Young Hakyeon rushed through the hospital ward to the end of the maternity section. He was excited. He finally had a son._

_“Sir only family members are allowed here.” A nurse stopped him right as he reached the room where the mother of his new son was._

_“I’m the father of the baby.” He told her and she stepped aside to let him in. He had met Lee Jisoo a week earlier, when they first told him that he would be the one adopting her son. The girl was lying on the bed, clearly exhausted. Hakyeon knocked on the door to get her attention, before stepping into the room._

_“Hakyeon, you’re here.” Jisoo said as she sat up. The nurse who was by her side helped her. “The baby is there.”_

_Hakyeon looked towards where she was pointing. There was a crib in the corner of the room so Hakyeon walked slowly towards it. He gently picked up the round-faced baby and held it just as gently._

_“It’s a boy. I didn’t give him a name yet.” Jisoo said. “They said I should let you do it.”_

_“Hoseok. I want to name him Hoseok.” Hakyeon said as he smiled down at the baby. The nurse told him that it was breastfeeding time for the baby and Hakyeon handed Hoseok over. After Hoseok was done feeding, he looked up at his mother and started crying._

_“Shhh, please stop crying.” Jisoo said as she tried to rock the baby. Baby Hoseok wouldn’t stop crying though._

_“Let me hold him.” Hakyeon said gently and he picked the baby up again. He changed the motion of rocking Hoseok, occasionally kissing the baby’s hands. After a while Hoseok stopped crying, looking up at Hakyeon with big eyes. Then he smiled at Hakyeon and the man started crying._

_“I guess he knows who his mother is.” Jisoo said, a bitter smile on her face. She knew that she would never get to keep the baby, it wasn’t like she wanted to anyway. Despite this, the thought that Hoseok liked Hakyeon better than her still hurt._

_“Thank you so much, Jisoo.” Hakyeon said honestly. “Thank you.”_

_*end flash back*_

“You were such a happy baby, and a happier child. Even with everything going on.” Hakyeon smiled.

“Did Dad not come to my birth?” Hoseok asked after a bit.

“He came an hour after that, but he wouldn’t even look at you.” Hakyeon sighed. “We went home with you and I couldn’t be happier. After you were born, he cut ties with his family.”

“So, he didn’t want me?”

“Hoseok, sweetheart, would it have made you feel better if he wanted you but still abused you?” Mama asked, his expression serious. Hoseok shook his head. If his father had wanted him but still treated him like that then it would have been worse.

“Did he ever love you?”

“No, he was cold throughout the entire relationship, even before the abuse.” Mama sighed. “At least he was consistent.”

“So, who’s the guy you like?” Hoseok asked, changing the subject. Mama ducked his head and blushed.

“I’ll tell you more when I’m sure about the relationship.” Mama smiled and shook his head. The two continued their dinner with a simple light conversation.

***

Hoseok’s leg couldn’t sit still as he sat in the train, on his way to Daejeon. He had another dance match and it was being hosted in Daejeon. It was the last match before the teams were decided for the national competition.

He was glad that Daejeon wasn’t as far as Gwangju was. It gave him more time to focus on his dancing without worrying about getting home on time. When he arrived, he took an Uber to the location that the competition was being held in.

When Hoseok arrived, he got dressed and headed to the sign in station.

“J-hope, nice to have you here. The mini competitions are taking place right now, but you are free to watch if you want.” A voice said from behind him. Hoseok turned around and came face to face with his long-time dance friend, Choi Jun-Hong also known by his underground name, Zelo.

“Haven’t seen you in so long.” Hoseok said as he hugged his friend. “Are you competing?”

“No, not this year. I actually came to watch.” Zelo answered. Hoseok ruffled his hair and the two headed to the backroom, backstage. “What happened, I heard you don’t live in Gwangju anymore?”

“Who said that I don’t live in Gwangju anymore?” Hoseok only told the dance battle planning team about his move.

“Rumour has it.” Zelo sighed. “Did you move because of your dad?”

“We are hiding from him. We left two months ago.” Hoseok told him.

“Two months ago! Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I didn’t want a lot of people to know. I can’t have him finding us again. Mama is just getting back on his feet and he doesn’t need this.” Hoseok sighed.

“How is he doing?” Zelo asked. He had met Hoseok mother a few years prior, back when they had both just started with the underground dancing. Hakyeon had been kind and took the boys out to eat, despite there not being enough money.

“Great actually. He says that there is someone he likes.” Hoseok smiled. They talked for a few more minutes before it was time for the competition.

*

“After a gruelling three-hour battle, the winner of the dance competition is…” Every single person in the audience sat at the edge of their seat, waiting to see who would be moving on to the national competitions. This year it had been decided that the winning three people would compete in the national competition. “J-Hope!”

Hoseok was frozen. He couldn’t believe his ears. He had won the dance competition against the best of the best from Jeollabuk, Jeollanam and Jeju Island, with him being from Gwangju, Jeollanam.

He looked around at the people who were celebrating his win with him. There were streamers falling from the ceiling and music playing in the background but Hoseok wasn’t paying attention to any of it. He was staring into the crowd.

Through the sea of happy shouting people, there was one person who caught his eye. His dad.

***

“Carpool with us then. We’ll get you home quickly and we’ll take the long route.” Zelo said after Hoseok had told him what happened.

“I can’t do that to you guys.” Hoseok argued as he collected all the information that he needed for the national competition. He stuffed everything into his bag and closed it.

“Jongup-hyung, Youngjae-hyung, and Himchan-hyung already live in Seoul and Daehyun-hyung is staying with Youngjae-hyung, Yongguk-hyung is with Himchan-hyung and I’ll hang with Jongup-hyung.” Zelo pleaded, he wasn’t going to let Hoseok go alone, not with his father around. “Come on hyung, we are all going to Seoul anyway.”

“Is there even space for me?” Hoseok asked, finally relenting.

“Yes, Yongguk-hyung had a van that he’s been bragging about.” Zelo rolled his eyes. He dragged Hoseok out to where the car was parked. The rest of the crew, named BAP, was already waiting there for them. They exchanged greetings and got into the car.

“Did you hear the rappers who were invited?” Yongguk asked.

“Wasn’t one of them Suga?” Zelo asked from where he sat at the back of the van, in between Hoseok and Jongup.

“Yeah, Suga and RM were there. Apparently, they are going to have a collaboration for the national competition.” Yongguk continued.

“Really? They must be really good then.” Hoseok commented. He had been mesmerised by their rapping skills and the music had helped him take his mind off the competition.

“Did you hear about the other people you are working with?” Zelo asked as he scrolled through social media.

“No, who are they?” Hoseok leaned closer to Zelo to get a look at his phone.

“This is Jungkook, also known as Kook. He won the Gyeonsang region competitions. He’s also from Busan.” Zelo showed a picture of Jungkook. “This is Taehyung also known as V. He’s actually from Daegu but due to family and stuff he’s been competing in Ilsan. So, he won the Chungbuk, Gyeonggi and Gangwon region competitions.”

“And this news is already up?” Youngjae asked. “Didn’t the competitions end like thirty minutes ago?”

“Social media is quick. The results were out the minute they announced the winners.” Zelo answered his hyung.

Hoseok’s phone rang and he saw that it was from his mother.

“Hello Mama?”

“Are you still busy at Jimin’s house. Should I expect you home tonight or are you going to stay with him?” Mama asked. Since the competition was at night, Hoseok had told his mother that he was going to visit Jimin and wouldn’t be back until late. Hakyeon never had a reason to not trust his son so he readily agreed, happy that Hoseok was making friends.

Hoseok looked at the time, it was eleven at night and they were still one and a half hours away from Seoul.

“Can I crash with you guys?” Hoseok asked the people next to him. They gave him a thumbs up and he turned back to his phone. “I’m just going to stay over and see you tomorrow morning.”

“Okay, I love you. Bye.” Mama answered.

“Love you too, bye.” Hoseok felt bad about lying to his mother.

“When are you going to tell him?” Zelo asked after Hoseok dropped the call.

“Tomorrow morning. He needs to know about Dad as soon as possible.” Hoseok sighed. He leaned his head on the window and stared at the scenery speed by.


	4. Chapter 4

The following morning, Hoseok headed home with a heavy heart. He was supposed to be celebrating his admittance into the national competition, but he was more worried about the fact that his dad was back.

He was glad that he never told the competition planners that he was moving to Seoul. Or else his dad would have found them by now.

When he got home, Mama had already made breakfast and was placing the food on their little living room table. Hoseok hugged his mother before putting his bags down in their room.

“How was it at Jimin’s place?” Hakyeon asked after they were all settled.

“I have something to tell you.” Hoseok said instead. Mama paused with his chopsticks to his mouth.

“What’s wrong Hoseok?”

“I’ve been secretly dancing underground.” Hoseok decided to say it flat out.

“Well I don’t see how that’s a problem.” Hakyeon said slowly. He knew that there was more to the story than Hoseok was letting on. Something like this wouldn’t bother Hoseok so much.

“Yesterday, I didn’t go over to Jimin’s place, but I went to the competition arena in Daejeon.” Hoseok carried on.

“You went to another province without telling me?” Mama asked. He was more worried about Hoseok getting hurt while being so far away.

“The previous competitions were in Gwangju.” Hoseok said softly as he looked down at his plate. Mama’s chopsticks fell out of his hand.

“Hoseok, we left there to get away from your father. We left to be safe and you went back for your dance competitions?” Hakyeon asked.

“It was only a few times and we needed the money. I didn’t like seeing you working so much for my sake.”

“I’m your parent. I’m meant to work hard for your sake.” Mama reminded him.

“I got into the national competition.” Hoseok changed the subject.

“What does that mean?”

“It means that I won all the other provincial competitions and now I can compete on a national scale. The competition will be broadcasted live on tv and it has many professional dance crews from all around South Korea.”

“What were these little competitions for then?”

“They were competitions used to build a crew. Not every crew is allowed to enter the competition.” Hoseok continued.

“That’s great Hoseok.” Hakyeon grabbed his son and hugged him tight. “I’m not happy that you went behind my back but I’m happy that you are following your dreams and you’ve achieved so much.”

“Dad found me.” Hoseok said and Mama froze. He slowly backed out of the hug and looked his son in the eye.

“How? When?”

“I don’t know how but I saw him at the arena last night. He was standing in the audience.”

“Did he say anything to you? Did he hurt you?” Hakyeon asked as he checked his son for bruises.

“No, he didn’t. I left before he could even get to me. I came back with Jun-Hong and his friends.” Hoseok calmed his panicking mother. Mama didn’t say anything to him for a while, making Hoseok feel nervous. “Mama, I’m sorry.”

“Sorry for what?” Hakyeon stared at his son, confusion written on his face.

“I shouldn’t have entered such a big competition. He probably found me that way. My name is plastered all over social media also.” Hoseok hung his head. Hakyeon placed his hands on either side of Hoseok’s face and lifted up his head.

“It’s not your fault so don’t blame yourself. He would have found us anyway; he was persistent like that.” Mama smiled. “Come let’s finish our food. Let me worry about this problem, you just worry about your competition.”

***

Hakyeon sighed as he sat by his desk. He never thought being someone’s secretary would be so hard. On the bright side his boss, Han Sanghyuk, was nice.

“Hakyeon, could you please get me the folder for the Jellyfish deal?” Sanghyuk said as he left his office. “Can I also have the meeting times for this week?”

“Here are the meeting times.” Hakyeon said as he handed Sanghyuk the week planner. “I have also emailed a copy to you. The Jellyfish file is with Hongbin as he still has to finalise the budget.”

“Thank you. Can you go and ask him how far he is with that?” Sanghyuk looked over the planner before handing it back to Hakyeon. “Oh, and Taekwoon says hi.”

“I’ll ask him sir.” Hakyeon said as he blushed. He had met Jung Taekwoon when the latter came for a meeting with Sanghyuk. While Taekwoon waited for Hakyeon’s boss, he struck up a conversation with the secretary and the two hit it off from there.

Sanghyuk laughed as he entered his office. Hakyeon shook his head and picked up the phone, dialling Wonshik’s office number.

“Hello?”

“Wonshik, Mr Han is asking how far Hongbin is with the Jellyfish file.” Hakyeon said to the other secretary.

“I wish they would just talk to each other. They are friends anyway.” Wonshik complained. “Let me go and ask him.”

Hakyeon heard the younger man stand up and leave his desk. A few minutes later, Wonshik was back.

“So, what did he say?” Hakyeon asked.

“He said that the legal team had a few problems with the contract, so it was sent back to Jellyfish. He will only get a response in two days.” Wonshik relayed.

“This is going to push us back on our plans.” Hakyeon sighed.

“Is it that bad?”

“Well, since we have to plan two other events the contract with Jellyfish was supposed to be done as they and another company were going to collaborate for one of the events. Without the contract the collaboration and the event might not happen.” Hakyeon pulled out his calendar and started cross checking dates. “The meetings for this week are going to have to change.”

“Good luck man. How I am so glad to not be you.”

“Don’t worry, your share is coming when you have to predict how badly the separate events with out the collaboration is going to effect our profit.” Hakyeon told him. He heard Wonshik groan.

“Let’s talk about something else. How’s the little Hakyeon?” Wonshik asked. He had been Hakyeon’s friend since high school and had helped the older male get the job as Sanghyuk’s secretary.

“He’s fine. He entered a dance competition and is going to compete on a national level.” Hakyeon said proudly.

“You used to love dancing too. Does he know that you also used to compete in dance competitions?” Wonshik asked.

“He doesn’t need to know his mother’s old dreams. It was a long time ago anyway.” Hakyeon brushed it off.

“I wish you would follow your dreams.” Wonshik sighed.

“My dreams have changed, Shik~ah. All I want now is for Hoseok to be safe and for that man to leave us alone.” Hakyeon sighed. He knew that that would be difficult now that Hyunjoo was back.

“Well I hope you can find a man in your dreams.” Wonshik said to lighten the mood. Sanghyuk opened his office door.

“I’ll speak to you later, Wonshik. Thank you for the information.” Hakyeon said professionally.

“Did you ask Hongbin for what I wanted?” Hakyeon nodded and proceeded to tell his boss of the information he got from Wonshik. Sanghyuk pulled a face. “This means that plans will have to change then.”

“I’m already drawing up a plan for the new meeting times and I will call the parties involved to check the dates.” Hakyeon said.

“Okay, you do that. I’m headed across the street, so if anybody looks for me you can have them wait and just message me.” Sanghyuk said as he walked away. Hakyeon shook his head.

Across the street was a clothing boutique owned by the famous fashion designer, Lee Jaehwan. He had Sanghyuk had been dating ever since they were in high school, according to Wonshik who had heard from Hongbin.

Hakyeon was about to pick up the phone and call Wonshik before he heard the elevator ding. Out stepped a handsome Taekwoon, looking as regal as ever.

“Hello, Taekwoon-ssi. Are you here for Sanghyuk-ssi?” Hakyeon stood up and addressed the man.

“Haven’t we passed the formal stage, Hakyeon?” Taekwoon asked in his soft voice. Hakyeon looked down and blushed. “But no, I’m not here for him. I was actually here for you.”

“For me?” Hakyeon jerked his head up.

“I was wondering if you were free for dinner?” Taekwoon smiled.

“For dinner?” Hakyeon’s brain short circuited as he tried to process the question.

“Yes, after work, but only if you are free and willing of course.” Taekwoon said quickly. Hakyeon was about to say yes before he remembered Hoseok. The boy had said that he was coming home for dinner with a surprise.

“As much as I would love to, Taekwoon, I have to decline.” Hakyeon smiled apologetically.

“May I ask why?”

“Well, I have a son, and he’s going to be waiting for me at home.”

“You have a son?” Taekwoon was shocked. “How old is he?”

“Eighteen, and before you say that he is old enough to-”

“Hakyeon. I understand.” Taekwoon smiled. “Your son comes before a random man you just met.”

“You understand?” Hakyeon’s brain was malfunctioning again.

“Yes, and when the time is right, I would love to meet him.”

“You can come over for dinner if you want.” Hakyeon’s mouth said before his brain could catch up.

***

“Mama, how was your day?” Hoseok asked as his mother walked up to him.

“Long. So many things happened.” Hakyeon sighed. “We are having guest over for dinner.”

“Oh, is it uncle Wonshik? I haven’t seen him in so long.” Hoseok said.

“No, it’s someone else.” Hakyeon said sheepishly. Hoseok looked at his mother as they walked home.

“Wait, is it that guy you like?” Hoseok asked, his eyes wide.

“Well, he wanted to invite me out for dinner-”

“So, on a date.” Hoseok summarised.

“ _But_ I had to decline because you said that you had a surprise for me.” Hakyeon finished, rolling his eyes at his son.

“So, he’s coming to our small apartment for dinner?” Hoseok asked. Hakyeon could hear the unasked questions.

“He is trying to go out with a secretary who has an eighteen-year-old son, he’s not expecting me to be rich.” Hakyeon assured his son. “And our living arrangements are only temporary.”

“And he has no problem with me?” Hoseok asked as they entered the apartment and took off their shoes.

“What’s wrong with you?”

“I mean, he doesn’t have a problem with the fact that you have a son, and an eighteen-year-old son at that? It would be so much easier if you I wasn’t with you or if I were at least a little younger.” Hoseok said. Hakyeon turned around and placed his hands on his son’s cheeks.

“What do I tell you every night when I think you are asleep?”

“You tell me that you love me.” Hoseok answered.

“I would never go out with a man that didn’t accept you. It’s an all or nothing love.” Hakyeon kissed his son’s forehead. “Now I never want to hear you say those kinds of things ever again. Okay?”

“Yes, Mama.” Hoseok nodded.

“Good, let’s get on with the cooking before he arrives.”

***

When the doorbell rang, Hoseok beat his mother to the door and opened his with so much energy, Hakyeon thought the hinges will come off.

“Oh, hello Hoseok.” Taekwoon greeted.

“You…” Hoseok simply stared at the man on the other side of the door. It was the man that came to the café everyday to buy his coffee. “Wow, it’s a small world.”

“Hoseok, let the man come in.” Hakyeon sighed. Hoseok stepped back and allowed Taekwoon to step inside.

“I brought some juice, if that’s okay?” Taekwoon said and Hoseok took the juice from his hands.

“It’s perfect, Taekwoon.” Hakyeon smiled. When the three of them were seated at the small table did Hakyeon ask how they knew each other.

“Oh, he is the ajusshi that buys the same coffee everyday at the same time. Remember I told you about him, Mama.” Hoseok said. Despite the fact that Hoseok was known to be overprotective of his Mama, he was quite relaxed around Taekwoon.

“Ah yes. You said he was one of the nicest customers you ever met.” Hakyeon said causing his son to blush. It confused him, who was the one who was trying to date Taekwoon.

“I’m glad I left such a nice impression on your son.” Taekwoon said as he ate his food.

“Are you enjoying the meal?”

“Yes, it has been a while since I last had a home cooked meal. I don’t get time to cook when I’m at home.” Taekwoon nodded.

“Are you too busy?” Hoseok asked.

“Yes, the business is taking off and I’m trying to change a lot of things so that I can have more free time. Sanghyuk and Hongbin are always saying that I work too much.” Taekwoon said.

“What do you do for a living?” Hoseok sounded as if he were an interviewer.

“I run a clothing boutique with a friend of mine. I handle the business side while my friend handles the clothes.”

“Wait, you are friends with Lee Jaehwan? The guy from across the street?” Hakyeon asked, shocked.

“Yes, how did you know? You heard it from Sanghyuk, didn’t you?” Taekwoon laughed.

“Isn’t Lee Jaehwan that famous designer?” Hoseok asked.

“Yes, he has a boutique across the street.” Hakyeon told his son.

“Then why do you buy coffee from the Time Traveller?” Hoseok asked. “Mama’s work is a good hour from where I work.”

“We have another branch I’m trying to open that in that area.” Taekwoon explained.

“You are probably rolling in money.” Hoseok said offhandedly.

“Hoseok~ah, you can’t say things like that.” Hakyeon scolded.

“Sorry Mama.”

“No, it’s okay.” Taekwoon said to Hakyeon. “I actually wasn't always ‘rolling in money’ as you put it. Jaehwan and I used the money that was saved up for college to start the business. It was a huge gamble but it payed off.”

“That’s good to hear Taekwoon.” Hakyeon smiled. “Let me go and get the dessert. Behave, Hoseok.”

“What if it didn’t work out? What if risking your future didn’t get you anywhere?” Hoseok asked Taekwoon. Hakyeon heard the uncertainty in his son’s voice and knew it was concerning the dance competition and his father.

“You have to believe in yourself and in the people around you.” Hakyeon heard Taekwoon say. “My father wasn’t for the idea, but he still supported me. You have your mother’s support, so believe in yourself.”

“Who’s ready for dessert?” Hakyeon said with fake cheerfulness.

*

Taekwoon left only after Hoseok and Hakyeon insisted that he didn’t have to help them wash the dishes. The two were busy working around each other as they cleaned the kitchen.

“Do you like him?” Mama asked.

“Yes, he’s nice.” Hoseok answered and placed a plate in the water.

“I heard what you two were talking about.”

Hoseok stopped wiping the counter. Hakyeon continued washing the dishes until he heard Hoseok sniff. He immediately wiped his hands and hugged his son.

“Why are you crying?”

“What if because of the competition, dad finds you?” Hoseok said.

“So, what Hoseok? If he finds me then that’s my problem, not yours. Hoseok I gave up on my dreams and nothing will stop me from helping you reach your dreams.” Hakyeon said. “Now promise me that you won’t give up on winning that competition.”

“I promise that I won’t give up. I’ll even win you the first-place trophy.” Hoseok promised.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning! Vulgar language and violence ahead.

Hoseok was more than excited and nervous. He was headed to Ilsan for the first meeting between his new dance crew. To be fair on everyone, the meetings were at different places every week. Hoseok wondered who stayed in Ilsan that the group was meeting there.

Mama and Taekwoon had both offered, on separate occasions, to take him to the meeting place but Hoseok had declined. He wanted to do this on his own. When Hoseok arrived at the Ilsan train station he saw the car that he was told would pick him up. There was a boy who was leaning against it.

“Hey, you must be Hoseok, I’m Min Yoongi, one of the DJ’s for the competition.” The owner of the car said as Hoseok got closer.

“Nice to meet you.”

“Namjoon, who will be handling your music, asked me to pick you up. Jungkook and Taehyung are already waiting.” Yoongi said as he got into the car. Hoseok followed.

“Am I late? I thought the meeting was only at eleven.” Hoseok said as he check the time, it was ten to eleven.

“You aren’t late.” Yoongi laughed. “Taehyung hitched a ride with me, and I think Jungkook is trying to make an impression on Namjoon.”

“Make an impression on Namjoon?” Hoseok repeated, slightly confused.

“You’ll understand when you see it.”

*

Hoseok understood what Yoongi meant. Jungkook blushed at the slightest movement from Namjoon. It seemed that the young boy was head over heals for the DJ. He would listen and nod enthusiastically to everything Namjoon said and would always want to say something to the older male.

“I don’t even think Namjoon noticed the heart eyes he’s been getting.” Taehyung commented. The Daegu born male was as happy as Hoseok himself and was really friendly.

“Yeah, but he looks like his enjoying the attention.” Hoseok smiled.

“It’s kind of sad to watch.” Yoongi said. The three of them looked at Jungkook and Namjoon and sighed.

“We should get to work; I still have to head back to Seoul before five.” Hoseok said as he stood up.

“Why so early?” Taehyung asked, following his lead.

“It’s safer that way.” Hoseok said. Taehyung looked questioningly at him but didn’t say anything.

“Jungkook, could we start with the planning of our dance?” Hoseok asked the love-struck teen.

“Huh, okay.” Jungkook looked at his fellow teammates.

*

“Why don’t we add other dance styles?” Hoseok asked. “Like the hip-hop parts are pretty good and all but it would more interesting if it had variety.”

“I don’t know many other dance styles. I just started doing contemporary at my school.” Taehyung said.

“I only get to do it next year.” Jungkook said.

“Well neither have I, but I do know two people who do dance.” Hoseok smiled.

*

“You want us to help you plan your dance routine for the competition?” Jimin asked. Hoseok had video called Jimin and Jin.

“You helped me nail my move the last time, so it think that you and Jin would be great help.” Hoseok said.

“Fine, Jimin and I will help you. When are you guys coming to Seoul?” Jin asked.

“Next week. Then we have rehearsals in Daegu.” Taehyung said.

“We could probably have something ready by then.” Jin said looking at Jimin.

“What is the concept you guys are going with?” Jimin asked.

“Concept?” Jungkook looked between his hyungs. “Do we have a concept?”

“I never thought about having a concept.” Hoseok said.

“Me neither but I think having one would be a great idea. It would give us a lot of direction.” Taehyung agreed.

“Then let’s work on your concept before we plan your dance.” Jin said as he clapped his hands.

***

Hoseok was more than tired by the end of the next week. Jin and Jimin got along well with Jungkook, Taehyung, Namjoon and Yoongi. They all felt like a really group. He was glad that the dance was coming along nicely and that everyone was friends. One of his biggest fears was not getting along with the other dance members. If that had happened the Hoseok didn’t know what he was going to do.

Hoseok arrived at the train station on time as usual and waited for his mother. Thirty minutes passed and Mama still didn’t arrive, not even a message had come through. Hoseok was getting nervous. He dialled his mother’s number and put the phone to his ear. On the first two tries, nobody answered the phone.

As the popular saying goes, third time really was what Hoseok needed.

“Mama?”

“Guess again Hoseok~ah.” His dad’s voice came through.

“Where’s Mama?” Hoseok asked, anger and fear lacing his voice.

“Right here next to me. I don’t know why you two ran away from such a big house to live in such a cramped apartment.” His father commented.

“Don’t you dare touch my mother.”

“Come and make me.” Hyunjoo laughed before hanging up the phone.

Hoseok ran home as fast as he could. If his dad was left alone with his mother, then it was going to be a disaster. Hoseok already knew that Mama was in pain. He could feel it, along with the fear of finding Mama being beaten. He bumped into many people, but Hoseok didn’t care. He only cared about getting to Mama in time.

Hakyeon on the other hand, was praying that Hoseok didn’t come. His husband threw him against the kitchen counter, and even in the small space Hakyeon managed to get thrown with a lot of force.

“So, you are sleeping around, I see?” Hyunjoo said as he went to grab Hakyeon again. “I always told your son that you were a slut, now we can see it for ourselves.”

“He’s just a kid, Hyunjoo.” Hakyeon said as he struggled against Hyunjoo’s hold on his hair.

“That’s why he needed to learn at a young age not to become someone like you. Now we need to wipe every hint of that man from you.” Hyunjoo began dragging Hakyeon to the small living room. He threw the younger male onto the couch and took off his jacket. “I can’t wait till your son comes so he can see you begging for mercy as I rape you.”

He was about to reach for Hakyeon when Hoseok burst into the apartment.

“Get off him.” Hoseok shouted as he pulled his dad off Mama.

“Son of a bitch.” Hyunjoo said as he picked himself up from the floor. Hoseok went to stand in front of Hakyeon. “So, is this what your mother has been teaching you?”

“Mama taught me to protect the one’s I love.” Hoseok spat.

“Let me show you that love has no place in this world.” Hyunjoo said as he walked over to Hoseok and Hakyeon. He landed a punch on Hoseok’s face and the younger retaliated with his own. The two of them went at it, neither wanting to give up.

Hoseok knew that Hyunjoo was stronger than him, but he was not about to let him lay his hands on Mama, not after Mama protected him his entire life. In the scuffle, Hoseok had lost his shoes while Hyunjoo lost a few buttons on his shirt.

Hyunjoo grabbed a random ornament and threw it at Hoseok, knocking him off his feet. He then pushed his son to the ground and began to hit him multiple times.

“Stop it Hyunjoo. You’ll kill him!” Hakyeon shouted as he tried to pull his husband off Hoseok. Hakyeon took the same ornament that Hyun had thrown at Hoseok – a wooden carving of a little heart and a big heart, Hoseok’s gift to his mother – and hit Hyunjoo on the back. The latter screamed in pain and was pushed off Hoseok.

“You bitch.” Hyunjoo said as he rubbed his back. Hakyeon grabbed his phone and ran to the door. The easiest to put on shoes happened to be Hoseok’s beach flip-flops, but Hakyeon didn’t care. He knew that Hyunjoo would chase after him and leave his son alone, so he needed to get as far away from the apartment as possible. He would call Taekwoon to check on Hoseok, but for now he would focus on running.

“Please answer.” Hakyeon said as he tried calling Taekwoon while running.

“Hello?”

“Oh, Taekwoon thank God. Please check on Hoseok he’s in the apart-”

“Come back here Hakyeon, I’m not finished with you.” Hyunjoo interrupted him.

“What’s going on, Hakyeon.” Taekwoon’s concerned voice came through.

“Just take care of my son, Taekwoon.” Hakyeon said before he hung up. He already knew where he was going, he had known ever since Hoseok had told him that Hyunjoo had found him. “I’m so sorry, Hoseok.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry... *hides under the table*

Hoseok struggled to open his eyes. He could feel that the right side of his face was swollen and that his body was in pain.

The apartment was dark. Not a single light on and not a single sound being made. Both his parents were gone. Hoseok didn’t know where they went but he was already feeling the dread settling in his bones.

He searched around the apartment for his phone and found it underneath the one sofa that they had. The screen was cracked but it was still usable. When he and mama first got their phones, they installed an app that allowed them to track each other’s whereabouts. Hoseok didn’t find Mama’s phone in the apartment so the older male probably had it on him.

Opening the app, Hoseok discovered that his parents were near a highway. He picked up his sore and battered body from the floor and rushed out the door, pulling on the first pair of shoes he could find.

When Hoseok arrived at the highway that his parents were at he was out of breath and couldn’t move anymore. He was about to collapse when he spotted his parents on the other side of the road, his mother not dressed warm enough for the chilly weather, on his feet a pair of green flip-flops.

 _You’ll catch a cold, Mama._ Hoseok found himself thinking, despite the situation.

They were having an argument and Hakyeon was inching towards the busy road. Hoseok couldn’t find an opening between the stream of cars and was forced to watch everything unfold from far away.

His dad walked towards his mother, anger blazing in his eyes. When he grabbed hold of the younger, smaller male, surprised graced his features before the two of them went stumbling into the road. The crash was deafening in Hoseok’s ears.

Due to the accident, the stream of cars came to a halt and Hoseok used the opportunity to run to his parents. He ran to his mother’s battered body and could do nothing but hold the delicate figure in his arms and cry.

Hoseok wondered if this was how their lives were meant to be, crying when they met each other, crying as they spent time with each other and crying as they left each other. Hoseok was only aware of the paramedics when they tried to separate him from Hakyeon.

He fought and kicked with everything in him, trying hard not to be taken away from the only person that he cared about and who cared about him. In the end, the paramedics had to sedate him. The last thing Hoseok remembered seeing was paramedics using the defibrillator on Mama’s body.

***

Hoseok paced the waiting room as he waited for his parents to come out of surgery. Their injuries were so severe that by the time Hoseok had woken up, they were still in surgery. He looked at his feet and started to cry when he realised that he had put on his mother’s favourite shoes.

“He’ll be okay.” A voice told him as he was pulled into a pair of strong arms. Taekwoon hugged him tightly. Hoseok wanted to fight the hug but his body was worn out and his mind needed the comfort. He felt more tears flow from his eyes as he stood there in the arms of his mother’s boyfriend.

“He did it for me.” Hoseok said. His voice was muffled because of the crying and because his face was stuffed against Taekwoon’s chest.

“What do you mean?” Taekwoon asked as he led them to the uncomfortable metal seats.

“He pulled Dad into the road right as the car came. He told me that he was going to take care of the problem, but I didn’t think that this was what he meant.” Hoseok said as he let out a choked sob. Taekwoon just continued to hold him until he stopped crying. “I remember when I was younger and I wanted to have a birthday party, but Dad said no. Mama secretly planned everything and even rented out a restaurant.”

_*Flashback*_

_“Where are we going, Mama?” Five-year-old Hoseok asked his mother as they sat in the taxi._

_“It’s a surprise. Don’t you want a surprise?” Mama asked._

_“I do.” Hoseok shouted, his eyes going very wide. “What kind of surprise is it, Mama?”_

_“It’s a birthday surprise.” Hakyeon said. He laughed as Hoseok’s eyes got even bigger. Then the little boy started dancing in his seat out of joy._

_“Thank you so much Mama.” Hoseok hugged his mother tightly._

_“Why are you thanking me when you haven’t even seen the surprise yet?” Hakyeon smiled and hugged the boy back._

_“You always get me the bestest things and the bestest surprises, so I know that this surprise is also going to be the bestest.” Hoseok said happily._

_“Yes, because I promised to give you nothing but the bestest.” Hakyeon laughed and ruffled the boy’s hair, his eyes shining with tears._

_*_

_When they arrived at the party Hoseok was even happier than he had been in the taxi. He greeted everyone and thanked them for coming before telling them to go and have fun. The adults laughed and managed to get the kids to sit still long enough for them to eat a little bit of food before going to play._

_Hoseok went to drag Mama to play with him, not concerned about playing with the other kids. For him, it was all about his mother and him having fun. When the kids were tired, they sang happy birthday and cut the cake._

_“What did you wish for?” Mama had asked him after everybody was served cake._

_“I’ll tell you when it comes true.” Hoseok smiled and fed Hakyeon cake. “Does it taste nice, Mama?”_

_“Hmm, it does. Here let me give you some.” Mama fed Hoseok some cake._

_“It is nice, mama. Guess what it tastes like.”_

_“What does it taste like?” Mama humoured his son._

_“It tastes like happiness.” Hoseok said as he smeared a bit of cake onto Hakyeon’s face. This sparked a food fight between the kids and resulted in them nearly getting kicked out of the restaurant, but Hakyeon couldn’t be happier. Hoseok smiled for the next few days, even when his father was being mean._

_*end of flashback*_

“He had even invited my friends from school and ordered a custom-made cake.” Hoseok wiped his nose with his hoodie sleeve. “He always thought about me.”

“And I’m sure he never regretted it or regretted having you as a son.” Taekwoon said. Hoseok nodded his head.

The light to the operation room went off and a doctor stepped out a few minutes later.

“Is he okay?” Hoseok asked, jumping to his feet. The doctor hung his head.

“I’m sorry, but he didn’t make it.”


	7. Chapter 7

Hoseok hugged his mother’s hospital gown clad body and the older male groaned in pained.

“Hoseok, sweetheart, I love you, but you are hurting me.” Mama said.

“I’m sorry.” Hoseok said as he eased up a little bit. Both of them were covered in bruises but they just wanted to hold each other and not worry about anything.

Taekwoon had gone to get them food, also giving the mother-son pair some time to bond.

“Let me see your face.” Hakyeon said as the ran his hands through Hoseok’s hair. Hoseok lifted up his head and tears sprang to Hakyeon’s eyes. He remembered watching his husband beat Hoseok, not having the strength to protect his son. “At least he’s gone now. He can’t hurt you anymore.”

“He can’t hurt you either.” Hoseok said as he laced his fingers with his mother’s. “What are we going to do now? Are we moving back to Gwangju?”

“No, there’s nothing for us in Gwangju. I was thinking of getting a bigger house and staying in Seoul permanently.”

“Where are we going to get money for a bigger house? I was also wondering where we got money to send me to such an expensive school.” Hoseok asked, the question that was always on his mind coming back.

“Since you are old enough, I’ll tell you.” Mama said as he smiled gently. “The money comes from your birth mother. A few years ago, she got sick, so she set up a trust fund for you. She died last year, and I spent the months before our move activating the fund so that you could go to a better school without worrying about your father always being there.”

“She put money aside for me?” Hoseok was shocked. He didn’t think that she remembered him.

“After you, she never had any other children. She removed her womb and refused to get married, so all the money she made was given to you.” Hakyeon explained. “Her money gave you things I couldn’t.”

“You gave me more than money could buy, more than anyone else could give me.” Hoseok laid his head on the blanket and smiled at his mother.

“I’m glad I could.”

“Mama, do you remember my fifth birthday party? The wish that I made when we were eating the cake?” Hoseok played with Mama’s fingers.

“Yes, I remember. You said you would only tell me what you wished for when it came true.” Hakyeon laughed.

“I wished that we would be happy. Me, you and a dad who loved us.” Hoseok said. As if waiting for his cue, Taekwoon stepped into the room, arms filled with takeaway bags.

“Well your wish did come true then.” Mama smiled as he looked at the two most important people in his life.

***

“Next up we have Bangtan Dancers.” The MC said into the microphone and the crowd started cheering. J-hope, V and Kook did a little victory shout before the went up on stage, then the lights went off.

There was a lot of gun shots and shouting before a single spotlight went on. Taehyung stood in that spotlight, a white porcelain mask on his face, wearing a black and maroon suit with gold details. He then started dancing a mixture of contemporary and hip-hop. Just as he reached out to the audience, the spotlight went off and another came on.

This time it was Jungkook and he was dressed in a white and blue hospital gown. He started his dance, switching between calm and slow to jerky and sporadic, as if he were crazy. The loose-fitting clothes moved freely, emphasising his dance moves. He threw himself at the audience just as the lights went off.

The next light was Hoseok and he was wearing a dark green sweatshirt with matching sweatpants and a matching bucket hat. He finished off the look with a pair of oval shades. Hoseok’s dance was lazier and more chilled, making it seem as if the dance moves were as easy as walking. His piece ended when he took off his hat and looked to be throwing it into the crowd.

When the lights came on Taehyung was on the stage in tight black skinny jeans and a loose-fitting white dress shirt. He started dancing before another light came on that had Jungkook under, also wearing the same outfit. The last light came on and Hoseok joined the dance, also dressed in similar clothes. The group perfectly danced in sync, occasionally – and flawlessly – throwing in their own moves, but not disrupting the flow of the dance.

When the dance ended, the audience had gotten to their feet to applaud. The was a lot of screaming, shouting, and cheering and Taehyung, Jungkook and Hoseok bowed before leaving the stage, allowing for the next group to go up.

“Well done guys.” Namjoon said when they were backstage. He gave Jungkook a kiss on the cheek and the younger boy went red.

“Thanks, Namjoon.” Hoseok said, trying to get his breathing under control. Taehyung was too out of breath to say anything, so he just nodded.

“The other groups are good.” Jungkook said as he looked at the next performers from the side of the stage.

“Yeah, we have a tough competition.” Hoseok agreed.

*

“Third place goes to… KARD”

“Second place goes to… Bangtan Dancers!” Hoseok felt his heart sink. He really wanted to be first place, but he was more than happy with his standing. They were, after all, up against nineteen other groups.

“And first place, goes to Speed!” Streamers flew around and celebratory music started playing as the winning groups went up on stage to accept their prizes. Jungkook and Hoseok were pulled in for a photo by Taehyung. They all smiled and accepted their gifts, happy to have made it this far despite everything that happened to them.

“Hoseok~ah!” Hoseok turned towards the voice that was calling him and found Mama standing there. Since Mama was on crutches, Taekwoon was there to support him in case he slipped in the streamers.

“Mama, I thought you weren’t coming.” Hoseok said as he gave his mother a big hug, careful not to make him fall. Hakyeon had still been in hospital just the day before the performance, the doctors unsure of if he would be allowed to leave so soon.

“As if I would miss your biggest performance.” Hakyeon hugged Hoseok tightly. “I’m so proud of you.”

“But I didn’t win you first place like I promised.” Hoseok said, whining a bit.

“It doesn’t matter. I’ll be proud of you even if you didn’t win anything.” Mama laughed and cupped his face gently.

“Congrats, kid.” Taekwoon said as he ruffled Hoseok’s hair fondly.

“Thank you for helping us with the outfits.” Hoseok smiled, looking at Taekwoon from the comfort of his mother’s arms.

“J-Hope! Someone wants to meet you!” Hoseok heard Zelo yell. He turned around and found someone talking to Jungkook and Taehyung. Hoseok headed over to the group, promising his mother that he would be back in a second.

“Hello, I’m Kim Sejin. I work for BigHit Labels and I was wondering if you wanted to join our company.” The man introduced himself and held out a business card. Hoseok took it.

“You are the same company that Kim Seokjin and Park Jimin are training under, right?” Hoseok asked.

“It seems you’ve heard of us.” Sejin smiled. “You have a bright future and we wish to make it even brighter.”

Hoseok turned to where his mother was standing and talking to Taekwoon. Mama seemed so happy now. There were no dark circles under his eyes, and he smiled more often. Hoseok knew that his mother had someone else to lean on now.

“Sure, I want to join your company.”


	8. Extra/Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hoseok, Hakyeon and Taekwoon go to the beach

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Something extra because I had many ideas that didn’t make it into the book.

“Mama, I don’t need any more sunscreen.” Hoseok whined as his mother applied lotion onto his face.

“You’ll tell me that now, then you come back crying after getting sunburnt.” Hakyeon said. “There I’m done.”

“Thank you.” Hoseok smiled. “Where’s Taekwoon hyung?”

“He went back to the car to get something.” Hakyeon said as he put on his shades and laid back in the beach chair. Hoseok though that his mother looked very glamorous.

“Mama?” Hoseok called his mother, laying his head on the older male’s shoulder.

“What’s wrong Hoseok?”

“If you get married to Taekwoon hyung, will our surname change to Jung?”

“I don’t see why not. Why don’t you want to be called Jung Hoseok?”

“No, I do. I think it has a nice ring to it.” Hoseok smiled. “I’m going to go for a little swim.”

“Okay, but don’t wonder to far.” Hakyeon called after his son. Hoseok waved in acknowledgement as he ran to the water. It was cold but refreshing. Hoseok remembered the first time that Hakyeon had taken him to the beach.

_*flashback*_

_“Mama, look, it’s a giant swimming pool.” Eight-year-old Hoseok said. People who were around him smiled softly at the boy’s cuteness._

_“It’s not a swimming pool, Hoseok~ah. Remember what I said it was?” Hakyeon said as he fixed the bag on his shoulder. It wasn’t a big bag, but it had everything that they needed._

_“You said it was the ocean.” Hoseok giggled. “It still looks like a pool though.”_

_“Yes, it’s a big pool of salt water.” Mama laughed. They found a comfortable place on the beach and set up their things. “Let me put sunscreen on your face.”_

_“But I’m old enough to do it myself.” Hoseok whined, nevertheless walking over to his mother._

_“Yes, you are but Mama likes doing it for you.” Hakyeon said. He made sure to properly coat Hoseok’s skin before he allowed the young boy to go and play in the water. Hakyeon was happy that Hoseok loved the water. The little boy seemed to be having fun and was friendly with everyone around him._

_“Mama, let’s build a sandcastle.” Hoseok said as he came running back to his mother._

_“Aren’t you busy playing with your friends?” Hakyeon asked. After all, the boy had only been gone for ten minutes._

_“I was, but Mama’s alone, so I want to build a sandcastle with you.” Hoseok sat down on the towel next to Hakyeon._

_“Aigoo, why is my son so thoughtful?” He said as he removed sand from Hoseok’s hair._

_“Because Mama taught me to be thoughtful.” Hoseok laughed._

_“Mama did, didn’t he.” Hakyeon smiled._

_The two ended up attempting to build a sandcastle and it turned out better than they had expected. Considering that they had never done it before, and it was constantly falling apart. Hakyeon was happy that Hoseok got to experience the beach for the first time, even if his husband would beat him when they came back._

_*end of flashback*_

Hoseok ran back up to where Taekwoon was spreading sunscreen onto his blushing mother’s back.

“Mama, let’s build a sandcastle.” He said excitedly. “We should make it bigger and better than the one we made when I was still a kid.”

“Weren’t you enjoying the water, Hoseok?” Mama asked, thinking that his son never changed.

“I was but I thought about how we built a sandcastle when we first came to the beach and I wanted to do it again.” Hoseok sat down on the towel next to Taekwoon, within his mother’s line of sight. “Taekwoon hyung should also join us.”

“Me?” Taekwoon paused for a second.

“Well, we can’t leave you out of a family outing.” Hoseok said, matter-of-factly.

“Well, since you are asking so nicely then I can’t say no.” Taekwoon said with fake thoughtfulness as he smiled and shrugged. He and Hoseok then turned to look at Hakyeon.

“Argh fine. I’ll build a sandcastle with you two.” He sighed and sat up. Hoseok cheered and high fived Taekwoon. “What do we do first?”

“Let me get some water.” Hoseok said as he grabbed a bucket.

*

In the end, the three of them ended up splashing each other with water instead of finishing the castle. Hoseok couldn’t care less about the neglected sand mound as he ran around in the water with his mother and potential stepdad.

He was finally happy. And, yes, sometimes he would have nightmares about his father coming back or Hakyeon dying, but it was okay. Mama and Taekwoon hyung were always there to hug him until everything was fine again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally done! I can't wait till I'm finished with this series. I feel like it went on for too long - I started writing it beginning of 2019 - and I'm glad that this is the second last book covered. Thank you for sticking with me through this story, I normally don't post while the story is not finished but I wanted to have some motivation to finish.
> 
> Also, quick thing before I go, I hope the middle and the end are easy to follow because I kinda wrote the end of the story before I wrote the middle. Sorry if they don't.
> 
> Anyway, sorry for the long message, I hope you enjoyed.  
> -Chika


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